I have been working at UnitedHealth Group full-time (more than 3 years)

Pros

Embraces virtual work environment.Handful of knowledgeable and respectable people who are “in the trenches”.Interesting project work.Generous paid time off/vacation.Benefits and salary aren’t anything great, but you could do worse elsewhere.

Cons

I can only speak for the consulting area:Recent mass layoffs in Q4-2012 and continued uncertainty about further layoffs.- Layoffs did not target underperformers. Instead, it targeted people in certain locations who were managing others (in order to flatten the org). If a consulting firm’s main asset is its people, why would you ever lay off (and then subsequently hire back some) good people who are meeting or exceeding goals? To reward executives for smoke-and-mirror SG&A cost reductions- Morale is at its lowest…and getting lower with each passing day.

Recent changes in senior leadership have rotated in people who can’t properly lead and executive leadership does not understand the core consulting business.- Laid off resources with strong client relationships and/or were exceeding targets. It appears that HR has more control over the business than the senior leadership team.- Prior leaders knew how to communicate what a “bench” is and how investing in people leads to bigger and better things for the team- Lip service to training. Why train someone when you can get 100+% utilization from them?- Some wonder whether Optum even wants to have a consulting arm in the long-term (let alone a high-performing one).- Very little cohesiveness and culture. You’re there to do your job and that’s it.

Reorganizations have occurred at least 1x/year. Some people have had 3 managers in the same year.

UHG, by and large, is a “cheap” company but Optum takes it to the extreme. Don’t expect any fun networking events, training or even company social events. Don’t expect top-notch software or hardware.

Optum is preparing to spin-off from UnitedHealthcare and is doing anything and everything to position the company in an optimal financial light for Wall Street. They’ve cut the fat, cut into the muscle and have hit the bone in several areas.

The IT policies and tools they provide are sub-par and at times, are a hindrance to getting the job done. Bureaucratic and arcane hoops to jump through are around every corner.

Expect to travel frequently, and most likely to the west coast or midwest…not the east coast.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Stop disrupting your workforce with layoffs that are not based on performance. If you preach “grow revenue through headcount” at every town hall, why would you allow so many good people to be affected by a layoff?

Continue to flatten the organization…by eliminating the 4-5 layers of senior/executive leadership who are redundant, non-billable and can’t sell.

Invest more in your people (aka: your only asset). Training, networking events, etc. may cost money, but it’s money well spent if you want grow.

I have been working at UnitedHealth Group part-time (more than a year)

Pros

Average benefits and some like minded minions

Cons

This company is not concerned about its employees; mid to upper management is so busy protecting own position and trimming budgets that employees get trampled on. UHG has so many subsidiaries with different priorities that the customer and workers end up at the end of the line. Standing up for evidence or the customer puts you at odds with management. Management making decisions about medicine are former financial hacks and disregard professional medical opinions. This company exemplifies all that is wrong with healthcare in this country.